First published: 16 March 2022 @ 6:00 pm
If you’re here, you probably need tips to get rid of rats in your house. Rats are rodents belonging to the family Muridae. They are characterized by having long snouts, long thin tails, and also have two pairs of eyes.
And it’s obvious that the little thieves never stop stealing your food.
Rats have a bad reputation in the world of animals because they can be destructive, but they can also be cute and harmless.
It is said that rats are rodents with a wide range of habitat types. This means that there are rats in almost every country on the planet.
Rats can be found in areas that have moist conditions, such as swamps and marshlands. This makes them easy to find and raise in captivity because they do not require much water or food.
However, this does not mean that rats can be found everywhere; some species of rats are not even able to survive outside their natural habitat areas.
There are certain types of rats that only live in a particular type of place, such as deserts or mountain ranges; these species have been categorized as subspecies of a rat called Rat Island rat.
Rats vs Humans
Rats are known to be some of the most destructive animals in the world. They have been known to carry diseases, cause property damage, and they can even cause death.
Rats are able to enter homes through various openings such as vents, doors, and chimneys. They will also make their way into homes through pipes or drains.
If you want to get rid of rats in your house, you should first look for any possible entry points that they might have used to get into your home.
They have a tendency to visit a few rooms in your house. They want safe places that provide access to food.
This means that you should inspect your roof and kitchen and make sure that there are no openings there; if there are, then it is time for you to have a rat trap placed on top of the roof. You should also check the chimney because rats love living near a fireplace.
Next, you should check for any openings in your walls and floors. These openings can be plugged with caulk or putty; this will help prevent rats from entering your home in the future.
You should also look for any places where rats might be hiding during daytime hours because they tend to sleep during these times.
Mice are usually out there searching for food at night. During the night, when they are out in search of food, their only enemies are you and your pets.
This means that it is best to keep these areas under surveillance during the day so that you can notice if there are any new holes that have been created.
These holes could be used by rats to enter your home, so you should plug them up immediately after you notice them.
Signs of Rat Infection
The first sign of rat infection is the presence of rat droppings. Rats tend to leave their droppings in different places, but they usually leave them in areas that are near their food sources.
You should make sure that you clean up these droppings as soon as possible because this will help prevent the spread of any diseases that rats might have brought with them into your home.
Other signs that might occur include:
- Strange noises will be made inside the walls, including squeaking, scurrying, and running noises.
- Food packages, containers, or leftovers that have bite marks on them.
- Smudges that are like dirty mud and grease that slide along the walls.
- There are nests that are made from insulation, shredded paper, bits of fabric, or other soft material.
- The ductwork is cracked or damaged.
In addition to what we have just mentioned, there might also be appearances of alive or dead rats in your home.
Rats are also known to spread many diseases such as rabies, leptospirosis, and tularemia. If you want to get rid of rats in your house, then you should take measures to prevent them from spreading any diseases inside your home.
How to prevent rats from getting inside houses
Rat Trap
If you want to prevent rats from getting inside your house, then you should make sure that your home is rat-proof. This means that you should install a rat trap at the entrance of your home.
If you are searching for the best results, you may want to consider using snap traps. Using these products is very convenient for killing rats instantly.
This type of mouse trap uses a trigger that causes the trap to open up and allows a bar to snap down and catch the mouse.
In rat-infested areas that are hard to reach, such as underneath stoves and refrigerators, glue traps are a good option for trapping rats.
Those large, sticky trap pads contain glue that immediately sticks to rodents’ feet when they step on them. You can use them with or without bait.
Sealing Area
You should also make sure that all of the holes and openings in your home are sealed because rats love to get into homes through these openings.
Another way to prevent rats from getting inside your house is by installing a strong fence around your property.
You can use barbed wire, but it is best for you to use a steel wire fence because this will be much more effective at keeping rats out of your property.
This will also help keep them from entering through the pipes or drains that they might have used to enter your home in the first place.
Rat Poison
There are other ways that you can get rid of rats in your house; another best way is to use rat poison.
You can purchase rat poison at a pet store or at a supermarket. Rat poison is safe for humans and animals. Even so, it is also very effective when it comes to getting rid of rats in your house.
You should follow the instructions on the bottle carefully because they will help you determine how much poison you need to use on each hole or hole opening that rats might have used to enter your home.
Rats tend to leave these openings when they die, so it is best to make sure that these openings are plugged in as soon as possible.
Store Food Safely
Lastly, you should also keep any food that can attract pests out of your reach. “Do not store trash, pet food, or anything else that attracts mice in your garage,” says Diclerico.
You must store dry food and dry pets in metal and glass containers. Make sure that waste is put in closed bins and that pipes and drains are cleaned regularly if possible.
So you should make sure that rats are given as little food source as possible in your home. The harder it is for rats to find other food, the more likely they will be to walk into your traps and eat some of the natural rat killers or poisons.
One of the most common household food sources for rats is pet food. It is very nutritious, and people often store it carelessly.
Hopefully, these tips will help you get rid of rats in your home. These tips will also help you prevent the spread of diseases that rats might have brought with them into your home.
For more home maintenance tips and other information, visit HandyWork!